The political newcomer from Sabah MCA is widely expected to be the Barisan Nasional candidate for the state seat of Kepayan.
Dr Edwin Bosi won it on a DAP ticket in the 2013 polls but switched his allegiance to the new set-up, Parti Anak Negeri (PAN), last year.
Bosi wrested the seat from BN’s Edward Khoo of Sabah MCA five years ago.
This time around, DAP has been gearing up to recapture Kepayan and it appointed former Malaysian Human Rights Commissioner Jannie Lasimbang as its coordinator for the seat as a prelude to naming her its candidate there.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Humanities, Arts and Heritage Faculty senior lecturer Lee Kuok Tiung said the main contest for the Kepayan seat was shaping up to be a challenge between BN and DAP.
He said Goh would face an uphill challenge in Kepayan where Chinese voters make up the second largest group of voters and they are widely perceived to be aligned with DAP.
Lee, however, noted that the situation was slowly changing and the feedback he was getting was that there were reservations towards DAP among the Chinese community now.
This was evident from a decline in the amount of donations the party was receiving at its fund-raising events.
“They are starting to question what DAP can actually do for them.”
Lee said Goh had established a presence in Kepayan for several years. He was seen helping out in gotong-royong and other community events in the area.
“He has also donated building materials like zinc roofing sheets and sawn timber to villagers there and financially contributed to events like Kaamatan, Hari Raya and Chinese New Year celebrations,” he said.
“He is a familiar face in the area. The people there know him,” he said.
Goh said he was being considered by MCA as the BN candidate for Kepayan but added he did not mind giving way if there were others who were more qualified.
He, however, noted that it was crucial for BN to have a winnable candidate to ensure Kapayan returned to the coalition once again.
Lee said Lasimbang was also a well-known figure around Kepayan and that the DAP “brand” still commanded strong support in the constituency.
Lasimbang said she had been working on the ground as the party’s coordinator for Kepayan.
“The people here want a change. They see the constituency being neglected,” she said.
Incumbent Bosi was however unperturbed by the challenge from the two “giants”.
“When I talk to the people here, I ask them if they are happy with BN or Pakatan Harapan, of which DAP is a component, or Gabungan Sabah.
“I ask the people what they know about these parties and their leaders.
“I don’t have to condemn any of them.
“The people know about these parties and their leaders,” Bosi said, adding that his message to them was that PAN, as a local party, could best represent their interests.
Kepayan and Moyog are the two state seats within the Penampang parliamentary constituency. All three fell into opposition hands in the polls five years ago.
Bosi won Kepayan with a 7,287-vote majority in a four-cornered fight.
He secured 13,020 votes compared with Khoo’s 5,733 votes. Chong Pit Fah, of SAPP, obtained 2,030 votes while Philip Among of STAR had to settle for 720 votes.
The Kepayan constituency with 32,000 voters comprises 48% Chinese, 41% non-Muslim Bumiputeras and 8% Muslim Bumiputeras.